Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
The head coach Dan Watson saw a silver lining in the recent slump of the Grand Rapids Griffins.
“One hundred percent” his team returned to reality, he said.
If you start the season by missing one rule in the first three months, you get more freedom. Watson’s Griffins went an impressive 29-1-1-1 through 32 games, then suddenly lost six of their next nine games.
In the bigger picture, Watson believes that the frustration that has fueled his players is that nothing about their Calder Cup run will come easy.
“We’re up against some really good teams,” Watson said. “Our guys have to understand that we’re going to face more than everyone else, and we have to prepare for that.”
Even the celebration of officially clinching a playoff spot was muted by the loss. The Griffins dropped a 3-2 decision last Friday against Iowa — 45 points behind them in the standings — meaning Grand Rapids needed to wait out a loss to Rockford later in the evening to secure its postseason invitation.
One of the dangers of closing out the playoffs early is that it leaves a quarter of their season to go without the pressure that often comes with a stretch drive. Bad habits can be internalized. Compromise too. Given their 21-point lead, the Griffins can expect a first-round bye in the postseason, meaning there’s little time left until their regular-season finale in Cleveland on April 19.
Then there’s Detroit’s battle to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. How will the Red Wings approach this week’s trade deadline?
And of course, the Griffins have history in their places too. They are on course for their first title since 2014-15. They are trying to catch Providence and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as regular season champions, an award last won by Grand Rapids in 2005-06. And they have a chance to push aside the 1992-93 Binghamton Rangers in the AHL record book; that Rangers team went 57-13-10 with a league record .775 fielding percentage. The Griffins need 26 points in their last 19 games to surpass that mark.
Red Wings vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman and assistant GM Shawn Horcoff keep a strong focus on Grand Rapids operations. Yzerman made a point of looking for a “winning zone” for the Griffins.
Watson believes his team’s core has the staying power to carry it through the spring.
“I think we’re competitive,” Watson said. “Our guys have an unbelievable work ethic regardless of practice [or] games, which have been included since training camp. I think they did a great job trying to push each other to get better.
“That’s how you can cultivate a good culture and personality.”
As he has stumbled recently, Watson and his players are ready for whatever comes next.
“You have to go through hardships, be tested, and see how you come out on the other side.”
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
